


Shore Leave

by oceanofdarkness



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Rumbelle Secret Santa 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 11:19:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5495246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceanofdarkness/pseuds/oceanofdarkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>as prompted by cartoon jessie: Rumbelle fluff in space (with a Star Trek twist)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shore Leave

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CartoonJessie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonJessie/gifts).



  
**_Space, the final frontier._ **  
**_These are the voyages of the starship Storybrooke, it’s 2.8 year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before._ **

_Captain’s Log, stardate 102283.11_  
_We are currently orbiting an uninhabited planet in the Omachron Delta region remarkably similar to Earth... green lawns, trees, flowers... quiet and restful, it seems almost too goo to be true. My crew has had a difficult few months. The recent standoff with the Romulan vessel Nimue at the edge of the neutral zone while enroute to rendezvous with the starship Pan in Alpha quadrant is just the latest in a string of routine missions that have turned out to be anything but. I’ve sent a landing party down to the planet to determine if it is suitable to allow for some well deserved shore leave._

\---

“Captain Swan?”

Emma looked up to find Dr. Archie Hopper studying her with some concern and realized that she’d zoned out over the report in her hand. She offered him a sheepish smile.  
“Sorry, I must have been seduced by the quiet there for a minute. What do you need, Doc?”

“Has there been any word from the landing party?”

“I’m expecting them to send up a report any minute.” She grinned. “Anxious to get down there?”

Archie shook his head. “I’d like to get some groups of our more overtaxed crew members down to the surface before I leave the ship myself, Captain.”

Emma nodded. “Perfectly understandable. I’ll have Lt. Booth inform you when we get word that the planet’s been cleared for personnel to beam down.”

“I’d appreciate that, Captain.” Archie hesitated. “There is one other matter that I wanted to discuss with you, but it’s a bit delicate.” She raised an eyebrow in question and he met her curious gaze. “Perhaps we could step into your ready room?”

“If you think it’s necessary.” She rose from her chair with a barely audible groan and stood stretching for a moment before moving past him. “Regina, you have the con.” Archie followed without a word.

  
\---

  
Mr. Gold, the ship’s science officer, and helmsman, Lt. Jefferson Hatter were strolling along a sun dappled path beside a picturesque lake.

“Beautiful!” Hatter exclaimed. “Just beautiful! No people, no animals... couldn’t have done any better if we’d had the place made to order.”

Lt. Commander Gold nodded. “I have to agree, Mr. Hatter. This planet could be just what the doctor ordered. I’m sure Hopper will be delighted to start organizing shore leave parties just as soon as we make our report to Captain Swan.”

“You really think she’ll authorize shore leave here? It’s almost too good to be true... like Alice finding Wonderland after falling down the rabbit hole.”

“I see no reason for the captain to change her mind, Lieutenant, providing our report and those of the other scouting parties confirm that the planet is safe.” He moved off the path. “I’d like to take a few more readings to get cell structure records... a blade of grass, a tree, a flower petal... we’ll be able to analyze the whole planet’s biology with these.” He disappeared behind a large bush as he spoke, leaving Jefferson staring out across the water.

“Oh my!”

That didn’t sound like Gold. The lieutenant’s attention snapped back to the path and the trees beyond at the sound of the exclamation, only to see an unusually large white rabbit moving through the grass. Said rabbit was wearing a bright yellow waistcoat, a green checkered jacket, and white gloves, and fretting over a gold pocket watch.

“Late,” it muttered, scrambling through a hole at the base of a long hedge, “mustn’t be late.”

Hatter was contemplating whether or not to follow when the young girl emerged from the same break in the trees that the rabbit had come through.

“Excuse me, sir. Have you seen a white rabbit with a waistcoat and gloves hereabout?”

He couldn’t find his voice, so he simply nodded, pointing to the hole in the hedge.

“Thank you ever so,” the girl chirped. She dipped into a curtsy, holding out the skirt of her blue pinafore, and followed the rabbit through the hedge.

Jefferson stared after her for a long minute, then called for Rumplestiltskin. “GOLD!”

Rumple came rushing back onto the path, still holding his tricorder. “What?! What’s wrong?”

“Tell me you saw them!” Hatter demanded.

“Saw who?” Gold asked, genuinely puzzled. “Mr. Hatter, there’s no one here.”

  
\---

  
Emma Swan turned from the replicator with a steaming mug of hot chocolate dusted with cinnamon.

“Sure you don’t want any?”

Hopper shook his head. “No thank you, Captain. I’m fine.”

“Alright.” She settled herself in one of the chairs arranged around the conference table instead of going to sit behind her desk and indicated for the psychiatrist to join her. “What did we need to discuss that requires the privacy of my ready room, Doc?”

“Well, Captain, I’m concerned about a particular crew member who’s showing signs of stress and fatigue... reaction time is down almost 15%, associational reading norm minus three.”

Emma frowned. “That’s much too low.”

“I agree.” Archie went on. “This crew member has become irritable and quarrelsome, but refuses to take rest and rehabilitation. While that is certainly within their rights...”

Emma cut him off. “The safety of my ship overrides that right, Doctor. Your crew member will beam down to that planet with the initial shore leave party on my orders. What’s his name?”

“Emma Swan.” A satisfied grin spread across Hopper’s face as her shocked expression settled into a pout. “Enjoy yourself, Captain.”

She was just drawing a breath to protest the unfairness of the good doctor’s tactics, when Lt. Booth’s voice came over the com system.

“Lt. Hatter calling from the planet, Captain.”

Emma sighed. “Open a channel, Lieutenant.”

“Aye, Captain.”

She shot Archie a look that clearly said they were not finished before turning her attention to Jefferson Hatter. “Go ahead, Jeff. Are we good to start beaming our people down?”

“About that...” Hatter began, “we may need to hold off on bringing any more personnel down just now, Captain.”

“Why?” She shot Archie a glance. “What’s wrong?”

“Either our security probes and tricorders are malfunctioning or I am.”

“Explain, Mr. Hatter.”

“Captain, all of our instrumentation indicates that this planet is uninhabited, and none of our people here on the surface have reported contact with any type of life form.” He hesitated a beat too long.

“Go on, Lieutenant.” Emma prompted.

“I just saw a large white rabbit pull a pocket watch out of his waistcoat and claim that he was late.”

The captain visibly relaxed. She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her hot chocolate. “That’s pretty good, Jeff. Now I’ve got one for you... the rabbit was followed by a little blonde girl in a blue dress and a white apron.”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.”

“Did Gold put you up to this?”

“Emma, this is not a joke. I saw a white rabbit and a little girl.”

“You two don’t have to give me a mystery to get me down there, Jeff.” She glared at Archie. “Dr. Hopper has convinced me to beam down for a little R&R.”

“Wow!” Jefferson sounded far too impressed for Emma’s liking. “Hopper is definitely going to have to tell me how he managed that one, since I’m sure you won’t... but that doesn’t change the fact that I honestly did see that rabbit.”

“Archie is under strict orders to keep his mouth firmly shut, Lieutenant. Can Mr. Gold confirm what you saw?”

“I’m afraid not. He was examining the flora at the time.”

Emma sighed. “Alright, Lieutenant, sit tight. I’m coming down there so we can get to the bottom of this.” She was about to break the connection, when Hatter stopped her.

“Oh, Captain?”

“What now?”

“Mr. Gold asked me to suggest you bring Lt. French with you when you beam down.”

“Did he now?” Emma couldn’t help the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth. Gold probably thought there was at least one person left on the ship who hadn’t noticed that he was totally besotted with French. She wondered if he’d figured out yet that the lovely lieutenant was equally besotted with him... she suspected not. “And why does he think that might be necessary?”

She could hear Hatter’s amusement as he replied, “Well, Captain, Lt. French is an archaeologist after all. If anyone is going to spot some obscure indication of a civilization we might have missed, it’s likely to be her.”

“Hmmm...” She rolled her eyes again, then shrugged. “Gold gets points for creativity. Send Booth your coordinates. We’re beaming down.” She cut the connection, then pressed another com button. “Lt. Booth, ask Lt. French to meet me in transporter room 3 and send Ensign Marco the coordinates Hatter is transmitting.”

“Aye, Captain.”

  
\---

  
Jefferson Hatter and Gold stood watching as the two columns of light faded, leaving Captain Swan and Lt. Belle French in their place. Emma did not miss the look that Gold and the petite archaeologist exchanged, but she focused on Jefferson Hatter.

“So Jeff, heard any good rabbit jokes lately?”

“As a matter of fact, I have... but this isn’t one of them” He indicated that she should examine a patch of mud beside the hedge. “I saw what I saw, or I’m hallucinating those too.” She looked where he was pointing to a set of tracks that did indeed look as though they’d been made by some very large paws.

“Well, it certainly looks like these could have been made by a rabbit,” Emma allowed, “but it would have to be a very unusual one to leave tracks this size.” She looked up to find Gold watching Miss French as she bent to get a closer look. “Gold.”

He looked downright sheepish as he turned his attention to her. “Aye, Captain?”

“You didn’t see this rabbit?”

“I’m afraid not, Captain. I was collecting data on the local foliage at the time of Lt. Hatter’s tumble through the looking glass.”

Emma’s brows furrowed as she looked back down at the presumed rabbit tracks. “Well, I don’t want to bring any more of our people down until we get to the bottom of this.” She raised her eyes to her officers. “Theories?”

Gold spoke first. “None as yet, Captain... at least no theory as to how life can exist where our sensors show no sign of it.”

“And you’re certain our readings weren’t off?”

“Absolutely,” Gold confirmed. “According to our instruments, there were no birds, no mammals, no insect life... nothing living on this planet.”

Emma sighed. “So all readings point to a completely uninhabited planet and then suddenly Jefferson’s rabbit just appears out of nowhere.”

“Indeed.” The science officer suddenly pointed at Jefferson with a flourish. “But Lt. Hatter was making reference to Alice in Wonderland just before the creature appeared.That has to be more than simple coincidence.”

Lt. French raised an eyebrow at this latest information but said nothing.

“So you think Jefferson called them somehow by mentioning Alice in Wonderland?” The captain shook her head. “That seems a bit farfetched, Mr. Gold.”

“Whatever that rabbit was, Gold, it barely noticed me,” Jefferson pointed out. “If he was answering my call, he was doing it very badly.” He turned to Emma. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think they mean us any harm. The little girl was very polite.”

“This all _seems_ pretty harmless,” Emma agreed, “probably is, but I want proof. Follow those tracks back to the source, Mr. Hatter. Find out where they came from.” She pointed at Belle and Gold. “You two, check out the other side of that hedge. Maybe you can figure out where they disappeared to.” She smirked. “... or at least find some random sign of civilization.” Gold cleared his throat loudly, clearly not amused. She pretended not to notice. “I’m going to look around a little and check in with Walsh and Dunbroch, find out if they’ve seen anything unusual.”

  
\---

  
Belle French cast shy glances at Rumplestiltskin as they walked side by side, looking for signs of Jefferson’s rabbit after the tracks had simply stopped at a rock outcropping on the far side of the hedge. She had only been in his company onboard the Storybrooke and found herself entranced with the way the sunlight fell across his skin. Being part imp, his complexion was a sort of ashy green under the ship’s lighting, but here in the sun his skin glittered with flecks of rich gold that accentuated the gold in his eyes, making them softer somehow, less reptilian. Not that she didn’t like his eyes in any light... she liked them very much, actually. If she were completely honest, she liked much more than his eyes. Belle French was more than a little attracted to Rumplestiltskin and this field trip was no help in that department... he was handsome on the ship, but here under the brilliant sun, he was utterly beautiful.

Belle had harbored a hopeless crush on the enigmatic science officer since their first meeting when she’d joined the Storybrooke’s crew several months into the current mission, and she’d come to suspect that he might have similar feelings for her. They’d become friends over the past several months, bonding over a shared love of antiques, antiquarian books in particular, and spent a good deal of their off duty time in one another’s company. Thus far he had made no romantic overtures even though she’d caught him looking at her with what seemed to be obvious interest on more than one occasion. If he was as shy as she suspected, she just might have to make the first move herself.

“So,” she began, catching his eye and offering him a coy smile, “you asked the captain to bring me down with her.” Belle couldn’t be sure, but she thought that might be a blush.

“I...” He hesitated, eyes darting between her face and the ground, his fingers suddenly rubbing together in his agitation. “I thought your skill set might prove valuable to the situation.”

Alright, blush or no, he was definitely feeling nervous... the fingers were a dead giveaway. That had to be a good sign, right? Should she push it?

“No other reason then?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Lieutenant.” The fingers were working faster, his voice had gone up in pitch, and that was definitely a blush.

She stopped walking and turned to face him with a brilliant smile.

“Admit it, Rumplestiltskin.” She reached out and laid a gentle hand on his arm. “You’re happy that I’m here.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then dropped his eyes, his gaze fixing on her fingers against the piping on his uniform sleeve, hair falling forward to hide his face. “I’m not unhappy.” A shy smile curled along his lips as he raised his eyes to hers.

She ducked her head, suddenly shy, and looked up at him from under thick lashes. “I’m glad.”

His smile spread across his features, flashing in those beautiful golden eyes, and Belle moved closer. He leaned into her for a split second, then seemed to realize how very close they were and his spine went rigid. She shook her head with a fond smile, and on a wistful sigh resumed their progress through the trees, stopping after only a few steps to look back over her shoulder at her companion who was standing very still and staring after her like he wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t an hallucination. “Aren’t you coming?” she asked.

“Oh... yes, of course.” It only took a step or two to resume his place by her side. She offered him another shy smile and wrapped her arm around his. Gold tried a silly joke to chase away the butterflies that were still fluttering about in his belly. “We wouldn’t want to be late for Lt. Hatter’s tea party, now would we?”

“Certainly not! It’s very rude to keep a Mad Hatter waiting, you know.” Belle French giggled at her own pun as the path led them to the edge of an open field filled with wildflowers.

  
\---

  
“We havenae seen even a wee rabbit, Captain.” Ensign Merida Dunbroch looked at Lt. Walsh, perplexed by Captain Swan’s insistence that their instruments must be defective.

“I don’t understand, Captain,” Walsh began. “I ran the diagnostics myself just before we beamed down.”

“Then how do you explain that your scans failed to pick up a giant white rabbit and a little girl on a supposedly uninhabited planet, Lieutenant?”

“I...” Walsh shook his head. “Our surveys just couldn’t have been that wrong.”

“Haud yer weesht!” Ensign Dunbroch suddenly hissed. When Walsh and the captain turned to look at her, she was pointing at a large bear making it’s way through the trees a short distance from the path they were on. They all stayed perfectly still, until the bear moved away and disappeared into the forest.

Then Emma turned to Walsh and broke the silence. “You were saying, Lieutenant?”

  
\---

  
“What is that?” Rumplestiltskin was staring at what appeared to be a long wooden table situated under a massive weeping willow at the far edge of the field.

“Let’s find out.” Belle headed off across the open space, her hand slipping down his forearm to grasp his and tug him along with her. She stopped short when they reached the willow and found what was indeed a heavy wooden table surrounded by mismatched antique chairs and laid for an elaborate afternoon tea.

“It can’t be!” she gasped.

“What?” Gold asked, a note of alarm creeping into his voice.

“That tea pot... it looks like Booth’s True Old Willow.” She reached out to carefully lift the tea pot from it’s place at a corner of the table, holding it high so that she could peer up at the markings on it’s underside. “It is!” She looked back at him, excitement flashing in her eyes, and his breath stopped at the sight of her. “Rumple, this is amazing!”

It took him a minute to find his voice, and he couldn’t quite keep the grin from taking over his face. She’d never called him Rumple before. If anyone else had tried it he wouldn’t have tolerated the familiarity, but it was Belle... and wasn’t she lovely with her cheeks flushed and those beautiful blue eyes shining?

“Such a fuss over an old teapot!” he teased. He knew very well what she held in her hand and how implausible it was, but he didn’t have to tell her that.

She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m an archaeologist... we all have an unhealthy interest in crockery.” She smiled at his laugh. “Seriously though, this is an antique that by all rights shouldn’t be here at all... nothing like this has been made for at least a couple of centuries.” She ran a finger along the gold detailing, then held it out for him to examine. “And it’s in pristine condition. How did this even get here?”

“I have no idea.” He took the teapot from her with great care, tilting it to examine the pattern. Belle smiled at the slight brush of his fingers across hers, watching him examine the china intently before glancing up to meet her eyes and grin as he took note of the blush coloring her cheeks. He turned his attention back to the teapot after a moment, lifting the lid off and peering inside. His eyes widened in surprise at the tendril of steam that rose from the opening, and he leaned in over it to sniff at the liquid inside. “It appears to be EarlGrey,” he announced, “... and still hot.”

“I don’t think we should test that,” Belle decided.

Rumplestiltskin raised an eyebrow and replaced the lid. “Indeed.” He set the china pot down on the table as Belle began to move around it, eyes following her delicate hand as it skimmed across the wood and along the backs of the chairs. She paused at the far corner to pick up one of the tea cups. They were all from the same set, with a simple blue design and gold trim, not a match for the Old Willow but they complimented it nicely.

“These are lovely,” she observed. “and I like them with the teapot... simple enough to let the Willow pattern really stand out. Whoever set this table has a good eye for design.”

“Yes,” Gold agreed. “Even Jefferson would be impressed.”

Belle chuckled and stepped back just far enough to take in the whole scene... towering trays of scones and tea sandwiches resting on the most delicate china, cut crystal sugar bowls and cream pitchers, pale linen napkins, silver polished to a brilliant shine... just what she imagined a Mad Hatter’s tea party should be.

“You know, I believe he would,” she agreed.

 

\---

  
Jefferson heard the tone sound and reached for his communicator, flipping it open as he brought it up to his face. “Hatter.”

“Jeff,” It was the captain’s voice that came out of the device. “There’s definitely something off about this planet. I’ve sent Dunbroch and Walsh to meet you at the lake. Get back there. I don’t want you roaming about on your own.”

He frowned. “What’s happened?”

“Never mind, just get back to the lake, Mister. I’ll join you as soon as I catch up with Gold and Lt. French.”

“Aye, captain.”

  
\---

  
Emma Swan cut off her communication with Jefferson Hatter and was just about to hail Gold when she saw the sunlight glinting off some type of metal over by the base of a cliff off to her right. She shut the communicator and clipped it to her belt in favor of her phaser. Making sure the weapon was set to stun, she moved cautiously in the direction of the... were those chains? She blinked in disbelief as she recognized the shape of just what it was she was looking at... it was a set of swings from a long abandoned amusement park outside of Tallahassee, back on Earth. The property had been condemned for as long as she could remember, but several of the rides were still standing and in decent shape. They used to sneak in on the weekends, but that had been before she left for StarFleet Academy. He hadn’t wanted her to go and they’d had a terrible fight over it sitting in those swings. He was so angry, and there’d been an accident... she’d never gotten the chance to tell him that she wasn’t running away, not really... never had the chance to tell him how much she loved him. She saw him sitting there as she drew closer, looking up at her with that grin that always meant trouble, and it was all she could do to stay on her feet.

“Neal?” Her voice broke as she said his name, eyes growing bright with unshed tears.

“Emma!” That oh so familiar voice filled with concern. His eyes narrowed, brows drawing in, and he stood, quickly moving to her side to wrap an arm around her and gently lower her into the nearest swing. “You ok, babe?”

She barked an incredulous laugh. “Am _I_ ok? Neal, you can’t be here. How can you be here?”

“I was waiting for you,” he said it so simply, as if that explained any of this.  
“Neal, you can’t be here,” she repeated. “I went to your funeral.” But even as she said it, she reached up to wrap her hands around the back of his neck and clutch at him, pulling him down to his knees in front of her, her eyes frantically moving over his face.

“Hey, Emma,” he whispered, his arms circling her waist. “I’m right here. I’ve got you.”

“You haven’t aged,” she said stupidly. “It’s been eleven years, and you haven’t aged a day.”

“None of that matters.” His voice was a low rumble, meant to sooth her, his thumbs gently rubbing along her sides.

“I...” she trailed off. She’d wanted so desperately to have the chance to talk to him just once more, wanted it every single day for the past eleven years, but suddenly she didn’t have the words. All she could do was stare into those deep brown eyes, feel his hair curled around her fingers. He grinned at her again and leaned forward to press his lips to hers, pulling back far too soon and reaching to brush her hair back from her face. The tears finally fell then, and he brushed them away too before tugging her close and holding her until they finally stopped.

She had no idea how long they’d been here. Neal moved to sit in the swing next to her at some point, and she’d stopped asking questions about how he could be here, allowing herself to be grateful that he was and finally saying the words she’d never had the courage to say before he was gone. They’d been reaching out to one another through the curtain of chains, her hand clasped tightly in his when the sound of her communicator broke the spell.

“Swan here.” Emma looked at Neal, the apology plain in her eyes.

“Captain.” It was Hatter. “Did you find Gold and Belle?”

“Not yet, Lieutenant. I... I was delayed.”

“Is everything alright?” Hatter asked. “What’s happened?”

“Everything is fine, Lieutenant.” She answered a little more sharply than she mean to, and made a conscious effort to soften her tone before going on. “Are you at the lake with the others?”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Good. Just stay put,” she ordered. “I’m on my way.”

“Aye, Captain.” The tone of Hatter’s voice made it clear he wasn’t happy with her, but he didn’t have to be. She flipped the communicator shut and looked up to find Neal staring at her with sad eyes.

“You have to go.” It wasn’t quite a question.

“I don’t want to,” she admitted.

He reached out to take her hand again. “You’ll see me again if you want to, Emma.” He helped her up, then gave her hand a little squeeze and dropped it to move away from her.

“But how?” There was a note of near panic in her voice, her hand still reaching out to him. “You haven’t told me how you’re even here at all!”

“Do what you have to do, Emma. I’ll be waiting.”

  
\---

  
_Captain’s Log, stardate 102283.23_  
_Investigation of this increasingly unusual planet continues, and we are seeing things that can’t possibly exist, yet they are undeniably real._

  
\---

  
“Swan, go ahead.” Emma barked.

“Captain,” her first officer’s voice sounded faint as it came through her communicator, “we’re getting some strange readings up here.”

“What kind of readings, Commander Mills?”

“Sensors indicate some sort of power field on the planet’s surface. Unclear what it is exactly but it’s increasing. Engineering has started to notice a drain on our power, and it seems to be affecting our communications.”

“Can you pinpoint the source?”

“Not at this time, Captain, but we’re working on it.”

“This energy drain, Commander... how severe is it?”

“Manageable at the moment.” Regina sighed. “I could use Gold to be honest.”

“Send your data to Mr. Gold’s tricorder, Commander,” Emma suggested, “and keep me posted on your progress. We’ll continue to look around down here and see what we can turn up.”

“Aye, Captain. Storybrooke out.”

  
\---

  
Gold’s com unit beeped, and Belle stepped forward, reaching to set the tea cup back on the table, but she miscalculated and the delicate china went tumbling to the ground. She let out a sharp cry of dismay and dove under the table to retrieve it just as Regina informed the science officer that she was sending their most recent data to his triccorder and she wanted him to have a look at it asap. By the time he’d cut the com link, Belle was once again on her feet, head bent over the cup and fretting over a small chip along the rim. She looked up at him, distress evident on her lovely features.

“It’s chipped,” she announced, holding it out towards him so that he could get a better look. “You can hardly see it.”

“It’s just a cup,” he assured her with a shrug.

“Rumplestiltskin,” she began sternly, “Do I need to remind you that I’m an archaeologist? Nothing is ever _just_ a cup.”

Gold moved around the table, snatching the china from her hand and tucking it into a satchel at his side. He shrugged again when she arched a questioning eyebrow at him. “I might be able to learn more about where all this came from with more intense study, but for that I need a sample... and since you were kind enough to chip one of the tea cups in this lovely set, the selection was made for me.” She didn’t need to know that he’d already decided to hold onto the cup after he’d finished his tests, totally charmed by her reaction to chipping it. He grinned at her. “You’re right, Lieutenant French, it is no longer _just a cup_.”

  
\---

  
Gold and French must have gone farther than she’d originally guessed, Emma decided; and she had no desire to get herself lost in the forest trying to catch up with them. She’d just check in with the ship before calling them back to the lake...

“Swan to Storybrooke.”

“Aye, Captain.”

She could barely make out Booth’s voice. The interference was getting worse. “I need Commander Mills, Mr. Booth.”

“Mills here, Captain.”

“Any progress in pinpointing that energy source, Commander?”

“Negative, Captain... but the power drain is getting worse. Are you having any better luck down there?”

“I’m afraid not. The mysteries are piling up but we’re no closer to solving them... so far we have Mr. Hatter’s white rabbit and a bear, that thankfully took no notice of the three Starfleet officers at the edge of her woods, where we’ve had no readings indicating animal life, chain swings from an abandoned park where we’ve detected no refined metal...” She hesitated, unsure of just how much she wanted to share with her first officer. “... and I’ve had a conversation with a person I know to be dead.”

“There’s no chance these could be hallucinations?” Regina asked as delicately as she could manage.

“No, I sat in those swings, Ms. Mills... they were as real as that command chair you’re currently occupying.”

“Do you want me to beam down a security contingent, Captain?”

“I don’t think that will be necessary. Our people down here are armed with phasers, and no one has been in any real danger as yet. We can always reevaluate if the situation worsens. Notify me immediately if you manage to find that energy source, Commander. I’m getting impatient for my answers. Swan out.”

  
\---

  
“I can barely hear you, Gold.” Regina’s irritation was practically dripping through the communicator. “Try adjusting your setting to maximum.”

“I’m afraid it’s already set as high as it will go, Dearie.”

“I’ve told you not to call me Dearie, Lt. Commander.”

“What was that?” Gold looked over at Belle with a smirk. “I said can you hear me?”

French covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, but he could still see those brilliant blue eyes dancing with amusement.

“Just tell me what you make of those readings I sent you,” Regina snapped.

“Not much on a cursory examination,” Gold admitted. “I do see some patterns that could be indicative of some type of industrial activity, but we’ve seen no evidence of it to date.”

“I’m beginning to suspect that the energy source might be located beneath the planet’s surface,” she suggested.

Gold nodded as he considered. “A plausible theory... it would explain why we’ve seen no signs of life or industry in our explorations to date. I assume you haven’t been able to confirm your suspicions with the ship’s instrumentation?”

“No, we haven’t,” Regina sighed. “Too much interference for our scanners to get an accurate read. I was hoping you might be able to obtain more precise data down there?”

“I shall do my best... nothing has shown up on our equipment so far, so it might take some creativity to determine where best to run a new series of scans. I’ll report back when I’ve made progress, Commander.”

“Fine,” she acknowledged. “Storybrooke out.”

“Rumplestiltskin,” Belle began as soon as he flipped his communicator shut. “Wasn’t there a ravine on the other side of that lake?”

“Indeed there was,” he said.

“Maybe we could improve our instrument readings if we made our way down closer to the source?”

He considered for a moment. “It’s possible... and seems to be the best option we have at the moment. Well done.”

She smiled at his praise and reached for his arm once again. “We should head back then, don’t you think?”

“If we must,” he sighed.

  
\---

They were almost back where they started. Gold could see the sun glinting off the water just on the other side of a sparse grouping of trees to his left.

“It’s a shame this planet is proving to be so difficult,” Belle said. “Everything is beautiful here... like an enchanted forest out of some fairytale.”

“And would this fairytale have a princess?” Rumplestiltskin asked.

“Of course! All the best fairytales have princesses in beautiful gowns.”

Gold imagined Belle in a flowing ballgown, her chestnut curls gathered atop her head to show off the graceful slope of her neck and perhaps the curve of her bare shoulders. She certainly looked fetching in blue - her uniform did bring out her eyes - but perhaps she might look even better draped in gold... and didn’t that do things to him that he really should try to get under control before he embarrassed himself.

“Alright,” Belle’s voice pulled him from his fantasy, “this is getting downright spooky.” She was moving off of the path and since her arm was wrapped securely about his, so was he. She stopped beside several tall bushes, and the elaborate golden ballgown that hung from one of them, reaching out to run her hands over the rich silk of the skirt. “We were just talking about gowns, not that I’d imagined anything this spectacular.” She tugged it down from the branches and held it up in front of her, glancing up to gauge his reaction. “It looks like it might even be my size.”

“Well then,” Rumplestiltskin cleared his throat, trying to chase that sudden low, husky note from his voice, “you should definitely try it on then.”

“Do you really think so?”

He did not miss the hopeful note in her voice. Gold would never admit just how desperate he was to see her in that dress... it was just as he’d imagined it, and he wanted more than anything to see his fantasy brought to life.

“Definitely!” He grinned at her, and gestured with a flourish. “Your fairytale awaits, my princess.”

“Well...” she hesitated for only the briefest moment before her excitement got the better of her. “Maybe just for a minute.” She giggled and disappeared behind the bushes with a stern “No peeking!” tossed back over her shoulder.

Rumplestiltskin hadn’t even considered peeking, but now that she’d mentioned it, he was finding it a chore to focus his attention on anything but the soft rustling of those damn bushes and most especially, the tiny hand that emerged to drape a blue starfleet uniform across a grouping of branches at just about eye level. If Lt. French... Belle’s uniform was resting among those leaves, then that meant that she was... He quickly turned his back, intending to find something, anything to focus on until she emerged, and gave an audible sigh of relief when his communicator emitted an insistent beep.

“Gold.”

“It’s Jefferson. Has Emma caught up with you two yet?”

“I haven’t seen the Captain since she sent us off on our wild rabbit chase. Is everything alright?” Gold asked.

“I think so...” Jefferson’s voice was very faint. “Listen, I’m not reading you too well, there seems to be some kind of interference.”

“Same here. Let’s just get to the point then.”

“The plan is to rendezvous back at the lake, captain’s orders.”

“Aye. We’re headed back now.”

Gold stared down at the communicator in his hand, flipping it shut with a frown. The energy drain must be getting worse. He was just about to try raising the Storybrooke when Belle emerged in the golden gown, and all thoughts of anything but the vision before him flew straight out of his head.

Belle was simply exquisite in the gown... the jeweled bodice hugged her as if it had been tailored to fit her every curve, the tiny sleeves sat low off her shoulders exposing a delicious amount of flesh, and despite the combination of bodice and neckline doing amazing things for her breasts, all Rumplestiltskin could think of was tracing a path along her collarbones with his lips and tongue. The skirt was full, yards and yards of gold draped over her, and seeing her enveloped in his color caused his chest to tighten with a rush of emotion he had not been prepared for. He was vaguely aware that she was looking at him expectantly, but he could barely string two thoughts together, let alone manage to form words.

“What do you think?” she asked, holding her arms out and twirling around to give him the full effect.

“Belle.” He breathed her name out with such awe that she found herself robbed of her own breath, and they simply stood there staring at one another until he finally found his voice. “Belle, you are incredibly beautiful.” She blushed prettily and lowered her gaze. “You could easily put any fairytale princess to shame.”

She brought her eyes back to his with a brilliant smile. “I feel like a princess in this gown, with my handsome prince saying such lovely things.”

He looked down, suddenly self conscious. “I’m hardly the prince you deserve... an old dragon, more like.”

Suddenly she was next to him, ducking her head in an attempt to meet his eyes. “Hey,” she whispered, “the dragon was always my favorite part.” She was so very close, and he wanted so much to kiss her. He might even have managed to find the courage to do it, if she hadn’t brought her lips to his first. The kiss was soft and perfect and over far too soon, and they were both a little breathless, back to simply staring at one another.

“That’s no way to kiss a woman, Crocodile! No wonder Milah preferred me.”

It wasn’t possible! Jones was light years away, courtmartialed and running some dive bar on a space station in Delta quadrant the last he’d heard. But there he stood... and to add insult to injury he was in that ridiculous pirate outfit he’d worn to the now infamous Halloween party their sophomore year at the academy, complete with jet black eyeliner and the hook that had given Gold the scar above his lip. Jones had taken an immediate dislike to Rumplestiltskin in their freshman year simply because he was half imp... crocodile was the kindest thing he’d ever called him. Gold couldn’t be bothered with the cocky bastard and avoided him as best he could, until it became clear that Jones was not going to suffer being constantly behind him in the class rankings without showing his displeasure at every opportunity. He couldn’t best Gold in the academy, but he did manage to steal his girlfriend and make a very public spectacle of it, all while looking exactly as he did right now.

Impossible or not, it seemed the bastard was indeed standing there, and Gold moved to put himself between the apparition of this dime store pirate and Belle. Belle of course, being Belle, had other plans. She moved forward to stand by his side, regarding the new arrival with suspicion.

“I have no idea who this Milah is,” she said, “but if she preferred you to Rumple, she can’t have been very bright.”

Jones took a menacing step toward her. “Watch your tongue, love.”

Gold wasn’t aware of taking the phaser off his belt, but it was in his hand as he once again shifted to put himself between Belle and Jones. “Lay one finger on her, and I swear I will put you down,” he growled.  
\---

“Captain!” Walsh called out to Emma who was standing a little farther along the edge of the lake brainstorming with Jefferson and Dunbroch. “Is that Gold over there by those trees holding a phaser on... a pirate?”

“What the hell?!” Emma muttered. She took off at a run, with Jefferson close behind. Dunbroch met Walsh’s eyes for a second then shrugged and ran after them, Walsh bringing up the rear. “Gold!”

Jones saw the group headed towards them and turned to Gold with a regretful sneer. “Perhaps another day.” And he was off into the woods, no longer visible through the trees by the time the remainder of the scouting party caught up to them.

The captain and the others were breathing hard, working to catch their breath by the time they reached Gold and Lt. French, and Jefferson was the first one who managed to speak. “Was that really a pirate, Gold?”

“Actually, no... he was only dressed like one, Lieutenant.” It was plain by the way Gold continued to look off through the trees that he wanted to chase the man down.

Jefferson rolled his eyes. “Well, that’s different then, isn’t it?”

“Enough!” Emma broke in, eyes widening as she finally registered Lt. French’s attire. “Alright, Mr. Gold, explain.” She raised an eyebrow and spread her arms, gesturing towards the trees with one hand, and Ms. French with the other.

Gold tilted his head back the slightest bit, rolling his eyes towards the heavens with a pained sigh. “Well, Captain,” he began, dropping his head on another sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Lt. French and I were on our way back to rendezvous at the lake as per your orders when we...”

“Wait!” Lieutenant French interrupted him. “I think... could it really...?”

“Out with it, Ms. French.” The captain was looking at her expectantly.

“Well, Captain,” she began with far more enthusiasm than her companion had a moment before. “When Rumple and I were talking about a tea party, we suddenly found a table in the middle of a field set for tea.” Jefferson and Emma exchanged a look at her use of the nickname, but neither offered comment. “Then when we were talking about fairytale princesses, this gown just happened to be hanging in some bushes...” She turned to Rumplestiltskin. “What were you thinking about when that awful pirate suddenly showed up out of nowhere?”

He shook his head and started to shrug. “I was thinking...” He trailed off and looked to the captain. “It fits.” Of course it fit... Jones was the embodiment of all his insecurities around women, why wouldn’t he make an appearance the second Belle kissed him?

“What fits?” Emma asked, more confused than she felt she should be at this point.

“Captain,” Gold began, “each time we’ve encountered something or someone that shouldn’t be here, the incident has been preceded by some thought or comment directly related to the presenting event.

“You mean, like when you suggested earlier that my reference to Alice in Wonderland somehow called that white rabbit?” Jefferson asked.

“Precisely, Lieutenant.” Gold turned to Emma. “What were you thinking just before you came upon your swings, Captain?”

Her eyes widened in surprise as she thought about his question. “It does fit... but how? ...and why?”

“That remains to be determined, Captain... but in the meantime I think it’s safe to say that we should all be careful who and what we call to mind until we understand exactly what is going on here.”

“So,” Walsh spoke up. “If Lt. Hatter had been thinking about, say... The Wizard of Oz instead of Alice in Wonderland, then he wouldn’t have seen a white rabbit, but flying monkeys instead?”

“I believe so, Lieutenant,” Gold began, “but as I said, we should be careful about invoking...” The cries and flapping of wings cut him off as half a dozen monkeys swooped down from the sky.

“The trees!” Emma yelled. “Everybody take cover in the trees!”

Merida Dunbroch was the last to reach the trees, and one of the monkeys managed to get it’s claws into her long red hair and pull her back out into the open, grabbing hold of one of her flailing arms and lifting her off the ground.

“Bloody hell!” she screamed. “Let me doon, ye hackit beastie!”

Emma drew her phaser and fired, bringing Dunbroch down along with the monkey as the others scattered and flew away.

“Are you alright, Ensign?”

“Aye.” The young woman got to her feet and began brushing off her uniform. “Thank ye, Captain.”

“Captain!” Gold was kneeling over the fallen monkey with his tricorder in hand. Emma Swan moved over to join him and the others crowded around behind her. “This creature is a construct.”

“It’s what?”

“This is not simian tissue, Captain. It resembles the cellular casting we use for wound repair... much more sophisticated, of course.” He glanced up to find Emma looking at him in confusion. “This monkey is a mechanical contrivance, with the same basic cell structure as the plants and the grass.”

“Are you telling me this thing is a plant, Gold?”

“I’m telling you that they are all multicellular castings... the plants, the animals, even the people. They’re all being manufactured.”

“To what end, Mr. Gold?”

The science officer shrugged. “That I couldn’t say, Captain.”

“I believe I can help clarify.” An exotic man in richly embroidered robes emerged from behind a large rock outcropping beside the lake. He held a tall staff in one hand, but  
offered the other, palm up in a gesture plainly meant to convey he posed no threat. “If I may...?”

Emma Swan was on her feet in an instant. “Who are you?”

“My name is Jafar. I am the caretaker of this place, Captain Swan.”

“You know my name,” she accused. “How?”

“Of course, we know all of you...” and he nodded to each officer in turn. “Mr. Gold, Lt. French, Mr. Hatter, Ensign Dunbroch, and Lt. Walsh. My apologies... we’ve only just realized that you don’t understand all of this. These experiences were intended to amuse you.”

“ _Amuse_ us?” Emma snapped.

“Captain, nothing here is permanent. You have only to imagine your fondest wishes, old memories or new adventures. Anything that pleases you can be made to happen.”

Gold cocked his head to one side. “Are you saying that this planet is an amusement park?”

Jafar beamed at him. “Exacty! This planet was constructed for our people to come and play.”

“So, you’re some kind of intergalactic Walt Disney?” Emma muttered.

“I’m not familiar with this Disney,” Jafar admitted, “but if his purpose was to bring dreams to life, then yes. Allow me to express my regret that some of you have been made uncomfortable.” He sought Merida’s eyes with his own rich brown ones, but Emma reclaimed his attention.

“You say your people built all this. What planet are you from?”

Jafar shook his head. He had no intention of answering that particular question, but his voice was gentle when he spoke. “My impression is that your race is not yet ready to understand us, Ms. Swan.”

Lt. French nodded sagely. “I tend to agree.”

The caretaker smiled at the petite brunette and went on. “However, if your people would use the proper caution, I believe this planet could be an ideal place to amuse yourselves, if you wish.”

Emma looked to Jefferson and Gold who both nodded enthusiastically. “Thank you, Jafar. I believe we would like that. I do have one concern... the power field for your industrial complex has been interfering with my ship’s instrumentation and our communication devices. Do you have any ideas as to how we might mitigate it’s effects?”

He considered for a moment. “I believe we can redirect our output in such a way that the effects on your instruments should be minimized. Now, if there are no other concerns I can address, I’ll excuse myself. He offered her a slight bow, then inclined his head at the others. “Enjoy your time here.”

Emma was reaching for her communicator, intending to hail the ship and inform Regina that Hopper could begin organizing shore leave parties when she saw Neal watching her from across the lake.

“Lt. Hatter, inform Commander Mills that Doctor Hopper should start sending our people down as soon as he can get the first group organized.”

“Aye, Captain.” Jefferson followed her stare to the man standing by the water. “Is there anything else you’d like me to tell her, Captain?”

“Yes.” Emma smiled as she started walking away from him. “Tell her I’ll be staying down here for a couple of days.”

Rumplestiltskin Gold turned to Lt. French and offered her his arm. “I believe we are late for a tea party, Ms. French.”

She smiled and wound her arm around his, leading him off the path towards the trees. “I’m afraid we might be delayed a bit longer, Mr. Gold.” He cocked his head to one side, brows furrowing in confusion. “You’re a bit underdressed,” she announced, gesturing first to the golden gown she still wore and then to his starfleet uniform.

“Ah... well, that shouldn’t pose much of a problem in a place like this.”

“I’m sure it won’t,” she informed him with a mischievous glint in her eye. “I have just the thing in mind.” She directed him back to the same grouping of bushes where they’d come upon her current attire, only this time it was no silken gown that hung there. Gold was rather shocked to find a pair of soft leather breeches hanging amongst the branches along with a deep red brocade waistcoat, a shirt of golden silk that was a perfect match for her dress, and an elaborate dragonhide jacket and boots.

“Just the thing for a handsome dragon,” Belle purred... and after that how could he refuse?


End file.
